Florida Panthers (37-24-16, 90 pts) at
Columbus Blue Jackets (25-45-7, 57 pts)
Nationwide Arena, Columbus, OH
Friday, March 30, 2012 – 7:30 PM EDT
I’ve run out of ways to write these game threads in a coherent manner. On Wednesday, I pissed and moaned about how badly the game set up, and the Jackets went out and handled the Wings. Even further, I have literally not seen this Panthers team play at all this season, so it’s hard to get a real read on them.
The Panthers are leading their division, and have a four point cushion on Washington. However, it should be noted that that fall is a long one: the Caps–just four points back–are all the way down in ninth place. Suffice it to say, the Panthers would probably like these two points to inch closer to locking the division up. Their last four games have all gone into overtime (1-0-3).
The Jackets, conversely, have enjoyed playing spoilers at various points this season. Could tonight be another one of those nights?
In roster news, Dalton Prout got the call from Springfield, and replaces David Savard on the roster. Prout gets his NHL debut tonight, most likely playing alongside Jack Johnson. The latter has been a horse, notching almost 64 minutes combined in his last two games.
Enjoy the game!